Cordwain Higgler - Retailer under the Spotlight

Cordwain Higgler is a small family business run by Pat and Guy, based in Eastbourne, East Sussex in the UK. The name for the company comes from medieval England, when a cordwainer was a general worker in leather, and a higgler is a Sussex word for an itinerant salesman. A long standing interest in leather and its history has led them to offer some very special and personalised articles, among which are some rather lovely organisers. Guy is entirely self taught and after making things out of leather for himself and friends for many years, he and his partner Pat decided to trying putting his skills to full time use. The business' ethos is to make simple, functional items with a high aesthetic appeal.

Amongst the many items he makes, Guy decided to revive a project he developed several years before to create an organiser that wasn't generic. Whilst on holiday in Devon, he was lucky enough to track down some reindeer skin that had been brought up from a Dutch wreck which sank in Plymouth Sound in 1786. It was still quite usable (in fact shoes were made from it for Prince Charles) and when he first got it he could still smell the Russian birch tar it had been cured with. He then found an organiser in a charity shop, and used the mechanism and the reindeer skin to make this unique item.

Now, wherever possible, they get their leather from Britain's last oak bark tannery and this traditional process takes a year to eighteen months to tan a hide and produces wonderful leather that is exceptionally good to work with. The organisers are made of 2 1/2 to 3 mm leather, and once cut is coloured and the strap attached to rivets. The strap is a clever one piece design which also takes a pen. The mechanisms are standard Filofax pocket or personal size, so you can easily refill it with paper from Cordwain Higgler or the high street. Each item is entirely hand made, and the leather is hand cut, stamped, dyed and polished with wax they make from hives around Beachy Head.

Napoleonic bee and hive design in buckskin colour

Napoleonic bee design in cordovan colour

Their latest dandelion design has proven to be very popular, as fast as the organisers could be made they were selling, with custom orders to make them in the personal size as well. Popular colours have been purple, ox-blood red, kelly green, buckskin (see the above picture in the bee and hive design), cordovan (see picture above) and yellow.

Each organiser comes with a starter pack of papers, printed on recycled paper, and other specialist papers are available e.g for the gardener or wine taster. The company post world wide and many of their items can be customised, with probably 85% of their customers asking for personalisation (at no extra charge) in the form of initials or to have their names added. It is also possible to have a different colour or design from another of their items, or they will apply any logo or design for a business, club or special event. They are always open to new ideas for new designs.

Thank you very much to Cordwain Higgler for providing details about their company, and they have also very kindly loaned me a pocket and personal organiser to review.

As a special offer valid until 31st December 2013, enter the promo code PR1 at the checkout to get 10% off your order (postage not included in discount).